ARTISTIC ARSENALS

Artistic Arsenals is a new lecture series dedicated to a new connoisseurship.

The term "connoisseurship" was coined in Enlightenment Europe, when the appreciation of art was often boiled down to memorizing historical periods, assigning style, or correctly differentiating the hand of one Old Master from another. By contrast, today's art collectors have access to a vast body of work, stretching across the world from ancient times to the present. Today, as in the past, there are artists working at very high levels of skills and thought. But, for most people knowing how understand art — let alone enjoying it — can be intimidating.

Artistic Arsenals is dedicated to bridging the gap between those who create great art and those who want to appreciate it more.

MICAH CHRISTENSEN

Micah Christensen received his PhD in the History of Art from University College London and his Masters in Fine And Decorative Arts from Sotheby's Institute in London. For more than 15 years, Dr. Christensen has travelled extensively through Europe and the United States, researching in over 40 archives and museums, including the Museo Nacional del Prado, Musée d'Orsay, National Gallery (London), and Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has lectured at a number of institutions Spain, France, the UK, and US, including at the British Library and for Cambridge University. As a writer, Dr. Christensen had contributed reviews and articles to a number of publications including Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.